Tag Archives: freshmen of the year

It’s that time again – my 3rd annual “Artists To Watch” list. I debated about not doing it this year with the previous (lack of?) success of the first two lists (Artists To Watch ’10-’11 & Artists To Watch ’09-’10). Like in prior years, an artist can’t be on one of my past lists to qualify this time. I had to split this year into two parts: Part 1 & Part 2.

One quick clarification: this isn’t a “Freshman” list because, honestly, I’m not sure what that means. This list is comprised of new(er) artists that I’ll be keeping my eye on over the next few years… and you should too! I’ve included 1 video, 1 mixtape and 3 of my top tracks for each. In no particular order:

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Young L

The most talented artist from The Pack – no, not Lil B. His beats are some of the best out there. Plus dude has the sickest chains – see video below.

Kevin McCall

An initial afterthought on Chris Brown & Tyga’s “Fan of a Fan” mixtape, Kevin McCall out-shined both headliners. He also is deep in the producing/writing game with hits like CB’s “Dueces” and Big Sean’s “What U Doin”.

Honorable Mentions

Cory Gunz/Lil Twist

Young Money’s representatives this year. Gunz definitely has the DNA to make it in the rap game. And I still think of this clip from The Carter Documentary whenever I hear Lil Twist. These 2 will be big over the next few years.

This year saw the continuing evolution of the mixtape from simple album-promo to legitimate work of art. In fact, the following mixtapes are better than a majority of artists’ studio albums. They are too hard to rank, so without further ado… in no particular order. I’ve also included a 3-song sample of my favorite tracks from each:

Wiz had a very good year rising to become one of the hottest artists of 2010. Along the way, he signed a major deal with Atlantic Records. This mixtape is by far his best cumulative effort of the year.

Another artist that signed a major deal in 2010 (Warner Bros. Records), and another mixtape with the quality of an album. XV’s The Kid With The Green Backpack should be one of the best albums of 2011. Still don’t understand how XXL forgot about Vizzy last year.

The newest mixtape to make the list, B.o.B’s May 25thmixtape could probably be included alongside No Genreas well. B.o.B is one of those artists who arguably puts out better mixtapes than studio albums.

Chris Brown’s In My Zone and In My Zone 2 as well as Tyga’s Well Done mixtape are noteworthy, but what pushes this tape over-the-top is its introduction of Kevin McCall to a larger audience. How long until Chris Brown officially signs with Young Money?

J. Cole’s third official mixtape release might just be his best yet – and the others are pretty good. Like many of the artists above, J. Cole’s upcoming studio album, Cole World, is one of the most anticipated releases of 2011.